Cochrane’s all-weather, artificial-turf playing field is beginning to take shape at Bow Valley High School.
Ground has been broken and the field area is being prepared for the base layer on which the FieldTurf playing surface will be installed.
Cochrane Bantam Lions football head coach, and Cochrane Turf official, Paul McLean is enthusiastic about shovels hitting the ground for the $1.5-million field project that includes spectating stands and field lighting for night games and practices.
“We had to move quickly to take advantage of the weather,” said McLean of the field-prep activities. “So we had the scrapers come out.”
The Turf Society is still raising funds to see the project through, there is still approximately $100,000 to go. McLean is hopeful the project will be completed in spring.
“We’ve gotten started, but we don’t want people to forget there’s still more to go,” McLean said.
“The goal is to get the base gravel and all that shaped this year. Then we’ll put the artificial turf on and the lights.”
The Turf Society got a huge boost, receiving recent contributions of $25,000 each from Cochrane Lions, Cochrane Rotary and Bow RiversEdge Campground. McLean said those were huge contributions to help keep the project moving forward to completion.
But he was quick to add there is still plenty of room for more donations to keep the ball rolling.
On the field, the Lions picked up a big 38-36 Calgary Bantam Football Association win over Falcons on Oct. 11 at Calgary’s Shouldice Park.
“We beat the Falcons and get a bye to prepare for playoffs,” McLean said of his team’s regular- season-ending victory. “Great positive momentum shift.
“The team played great.”
The Bantam Lions finished the season with a 2-6 record, good for fifth place in the seven-team CBFA North Division.
